Locked on Chiefs: Chiefs set to begin year of transitions

The Kansas City Chiefs face a year of transitioning personnel at multiple key positions as they prepare to begin training camp for 2017.

The biggest transition facing the Kansas City Chiefs this season is one that took the franchise’s fans by surprise: moving on from John Dorsey. Coming off the Fourth of July weekend, reports on progress in the search for the team’s next General Manager have slowed to a crawl. While the candidate list has not been narrowed down and still contains Brett Veach as well as several outside contenders, Clark Hunt has yet to make his decision. This will be the first major position to transition toward the future. For the sake of the franchise, getting the new general manager in place sooner rather than later is imperative.

As the Chiefs go through the 2017 season, multiple veteran players could be seeing their last contests in a Chiefs uniform. Starting quarterback and experience better and Alex Smith sits at the top of the list of veterans with substantial contracts that could see themselves playing elsewhere after the 2017 season. Smith’s release will save the team more than 20 million against the salary cap in 2018.

"Like what you hear from the Locked on Chiefs podcast? Get it direct. Subscribe on iTunes or on AudioBoom"

While still productive as a part-time pass rusher, Tamba Hali is likely to be severely limited in his snap count in 2017. The levels of his production on a per snap at basis could be the determining factor on whether he is released at the conclusion of 2017. Hali is still a player that can produce in situations but has shown to be noticeably slowing down as his body reaches the end of its career. Will Dee Ford be ready to complete the transition to a full-time, every-down bookend across from Justin Houston? That will likely be one of the most critical and elusive to answer as the team goes through the coming season.

Thanks, Addicts!